Sometimes ideas come to me in the middle of the night and I write them down. When I read them the following day, they seem negative. This is what happened with this last post. It felt so positive when I wrote it.

For over a decade I’ve been corresponding with, and writing for people who have left or are contemplating leaving Christianity as I almost did. That is my main audience. But for those happy with the present American culture, it can come across as me criticizing something they hold dear. This is not my point nor my feeling. I love and respect those who have an interpretation of Christianity that is different from mine. I have never written with the intent to criticize or to try and persuade them to see things my way. I’ve said before, that I esteem my old evangelical friends and my friends who are part of my local church as people better than me.

However, it frustrates me when I meet many critical thinkers who feel the church has given them no oxygen and they had no choice but to leave for good. I would honestly say that critical thinkers are not welcome in most evangelical churches. In the church I attend, most folks would be welcoming, but a few would not. I want to make the church more curious about the big questions or at least more tolerant of us who are. My attempts are awkward at best. So please forgive what may seem like pointless criticisms.

Mike